Central retinal vein occlusion in a migraine patient

Abstract

We describe a 31-year-old woman with a history of migraines without aura, who presented to our emergency department due to a monocular visual disturbance. This was misdiagnosed as being related to her migraine, however, it was subsequently found to be caused by a central retinal vein occlusion. Patients suffering from migraine can experience visual disturbances in the form of auras. The neuropathological basis for this phenomenon is thought to be a spreading depression in the visual cortex, causing a hemifield active visual phenomenon. Missing the diagnosis of central retinal vein occlusion is common, especially in the setting of an initially normal fundoscopy examination.

Keywords: Aura; Central retinal vein occlusion; Migraine; Misdiagnosis.